Wednesday, June 25, 2014

A scrumptious dinner is in the making for tomorrow night's Seasonal Supper on Rural Resources' Holly Creek Farm, courtesy of Farmer Melissa! Check out some of the delicious recipes on her blog, Eating Greeneville, including this one for fried green tomatoes and homemade basil mayonnaise. (How could anything with basil not be yummy!?!?!?)

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

In fact, two more sessions of Farm Day Campers scampered
through Rural Resources’ Holly Creek farm over the last couple of weeks.
Children from Pre-K through third grade took part in two sessions: Too Much
Farm Fun Camp and Little Sprouts Camp.

“I’ve milked a cow,” 7-year-old Corinne Southerland said,
with a grin. “It was pretty cool. And I’ve played a lot of games.”

Corinne’s big sister Grace, a seventh-grader, volunteered to
help with the younger children in the Too Much Farm Fun session. Anticipating
the start of her own FDC session, she talked about last year’s memorable camp
moments.

“Last year we went to Paint Creek,” Grace said. “And we went
canoeing on the Nolichucky. That was my favorite! It was my first time in a canoe.”

The opportunity to try new things
is one of the things that keeps kids coming back, year after year. But Doak
Elementary School teacher Margaret Ayers, who was there with her daughter, said
there are many good reasons for kids to come to camp.

“Being around the animals and
being able to feed them,” Ayers said. “Just even being around the creek. These
are things that kids don’t get to do every day. They see where food comes from
and how animals live. Their understanding of food isn’t just from the grocery
store.”

Ayers also said she thinks this
kind of an experience makes kids more compassionate to animals and each other,
and opens the door to new friendships.

“They’re all from different
schools, so they’ve made new friends who have similar interests,” She said. ”I
think it’s a great camp.”

“It’s a lot better than sitting inside, to actually get out
and do stuff, like figure out where milk comes from,” Rabern said. “He
absolutely loves it.”

Doak Elementary School teacher Nick Baumann led the sessions
and said he believes that tuning into students’ interest levels and keeping
things fun is the key to successful summer learning at Farm Day Camp.

“The highlight for most campers is probably creek time,” said
Baumann, as Ben, a Little Sprout, climbed onto the creek bank cradling a
freshwater shellfish in his hands.

“I think they’re having a good time,” he said, taking the
tiny creature from Ben’s cupped hands and giving him a sprout-sized biology
lesson.

Perhaps wide-eyed wonder and unending opportunities for
discovery are the best reasons of all to come to Farm Day Camp.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Thank you to all who helped Rural Resources reach its Capital Campaign goal for the construction of a new building!

The June 20 deadline found the final tally at 112 percent of the matching funds needed to qualify for a $300K grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Work can now go forward on the construction of a new, multipurpose Farm and Food Training Center that will house a certified teaching kitchen, bathrooms, classrooms, office space and a community meeting room.

Because of your generosity, Rural Resources will be able to serve our community more effectively and comfortably.

"As
staff, we appreciate it because we feel like we’re clowns in a clown car," said Sally Causey, Rural Resources' executive director. "You know, packed into this office trailer, which we’re absolutely grateful for.
... But just
to have a space that actually has a bathroom that flushes and not having to run
out to the outhouse when it’s snowing or hailing or pouring down rain. And to
be more efficient all the way around."

But although the new facility will allow staff to work more efficiently and comfortably, it's about much more than having a building.

"The new building is not just about bricks and mortar," Causey said. "It’s
about having the programming space that we need for the kids that we work with. The teens in particular are very anxious to get into a
kitchen and having a situation where they’re harvesting the food from the
garden and then preparing it in a more immediate kind of way."

Causy said one of the biggest impacts will be the freedom the children will have to explore and pursue entrepreneurial endeavors.

"The kids, more than anybody, they are just so anxious," she said. "They have all of these ideas for businesses and things that they can
do, and they just need a space."

It's not too late to contribute to the project. Donations can be made, online or by mailing a pledge card, that will provide the equipment, furniture and miscellaneous needs to complete the vision.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Nick Baumann, a teacher at Doak Elementary, opened the Gross!
Camp session on June 2nd by introducing a pair of giant cockroaches
to a lively group of 1st – 3rd grade students.

“When you
touch them, remember they’re a bug,” Baumann admonished, placing them on a
table with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “You don’t want to squeeze them, or it might get reeeaaal gross!”

The children erupted into gasps and squeals of, “Eeewww!” and “Gross!”

Baumann introduced a variety of smelly, slithery,
creepy-crawly critters throughout the day – snakes, insects, pigs and rats to
name a few – with an unexpected bonus of a tiny, pink, hairless baby in the
rats’ nest.

Baumann also produced a kitten. The children buried their fingers
in its fur and hugged it to their chests, while he assured skeptics, who weren't convinced she qualified as gross, that “she has stinky gas.”

The week also included art, crafts, feeding farm animals, milking the cows, visiting the Rural Resources garden, playing games, climbing trees and exploring the cool, shaded creek during the afternoon heat.

The days were filled with lots of amazement, laughter and good-natured
bantering between Baumann and his campers.

Although the sessions are pre-planned and structured,
Baumann said one of the key principles to creating a positive experience for
little campers is flexibility. He said he allows more time for activities they
are enjoying or moves on to something else if they are losing interest.

Campers represented a number of area schools, as well as the
home school community.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

After fire blazed through the Rural Resources primary office
and programming space in 2009, the staff began working out of a tiny
construction trailer with no indoor plumbing.

Ever resourceful and committed, they have cheerfully carried
on their mission to connect farms, food and families, while working to advance
food security and nutrition, environmental sustainability and local food
markets within the community.

In spite of the devasting loss, they have continued and
touch the lives of children with the Farm Day Camp, the Farm and Food Teen
Training Program and by bringing farming and food into local classrooms.

Other Rural Resources programs to serve the
community include the Four Seasons Grazing Club to encourage better forage
production and grazing management, the Mobile Farmers’ Market and the Food
Security Task Force.

Imagine what could be accomplished with an adequate
facility! The Rural Resources team has. In fact, they have more than
imagined. With the help of an architect, they have created plans for a new,
multipurpose Farm and Food Training Center that would house a certified
teaching kitchen, classrooms, office space and a community meeting room.

But to make this dream a reality, Rural Resources needs your
help. The organization is eligible to receive a $300,000 grant from the
Appalachian Regional Commission for the construction of the new facility, with
the stipulation that they raise a local match of $100,000 by June

Donations can be made on the website by clicking on the Capital
Campaign link. Donations can also be made by printing and mailing the pledge card. Consider asking your employer if they will make a
matching gift.

Rural Resources has tenaciously clung to their mission and
worked to make our community stronger. With your help to fund the multipurpose Farm and Food Training Center, Rural Resources
can continue to serve the community even more effectively in the future.